BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: Giroud's 90th minute strike rescued a draw from the jaws of defeat at Goodison Park [GETTY]

After being hammered at both Liverpool and Everton last season, Arsene Wenger’s Gunners were heading for another beating.

Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith were the scorers in an impressive Everton display.

But the Gunners pulled back a goal seven minutes from time when Aaron Ramsey converted substitute Santi Cazorla’s cross.

And in the last minute, substitute Olivier Giroud headed home Nacho Monreal’s pinpoint cross.

It was the night Everton celebrated their famous School of Science midﬁ eld of Howard Kendall, the late Alan Ball and Colin Harvey, as Kendall, Harvey and members of Ball’s family were presented to the crowd at half-time.

And Everton’s fans clearly reckoned they witnessed a pretty exact science in football terms on the pitch – until Arsenal’s dramatic late show stunned Goodison.

It was a match billed as an early examination of Arsenal’s title credentials.

“Everton were close again through Mirallas in the 35th minute but the Belgian attacker curled a free-kick into the side-netting”

A game against a side who almost pipped them for fourth place last season and a Champions League spot.

And Everton were also the last team to defeat Arsenal, with a 3-0 thrashing last season.

But the Gunners used that beating as a springboard to save that campaign, winning their last five league games and also the FA Cup.

It was Everton, though, who surged into an early lead yesterday.

The goal came in the 19th minute, when the excellent Gareth Barry’s cross to the far post was powerfully headed into the roof of the net by Coleman.

It could have been worse for Arsenal three minutes later but Kevin Mirallas stabbed wide when in the clear.

The Gunners, with £25million Alexis Sanchez operating as a lone striker in the first half as opposed to his usual wide role, had the first scoring chance – through a Coleman mistake.

The Republic of Ireland full-back’s poor clearance went straight to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but the England midfielder’s shot went just wide.

Everton’s goal, though, knocked Arsenal out of their stride for a while as Roberto Martinez’s side recovered from the early blow of losing Steven Pienaar through injury, the South African limping off in the 10th minute to be replaced by Leon Osman.

Everton were close again through Mirallas in the 35th minute but the Belgian attacker curled a free-kick into the side-netting.

The Toffees, though, did increase their lead in the last minute of the first half as Romelu Lukaku turned Per Mertesacker and skipped away from Calum Chambers, before rolling a pass into the path of Naismith.

The Scot was a fraction offside but that was not spotted by the officials and Naismith finished neatly to make it 2-0.

Wenger replaced Sanchez at half-time with Giroud, who sent a volley over the bar.

The Frenchman was again denied by a fine Tim Howard save and sent a header just wide before his dramatic last-gasp finish.